Daniel Isn't Real

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🎙️ EPISODE 549: 09.07.22 This is an incredibly dumb movie about an imaginary friend (who is some sort of cosmic demon?) who returns to the protagonist's life in his early 20s after being locked away for over a decade in a haunted dollhouse. When he (Daniel, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of, yes, that guy) gets out, he — at first — inspires a newfound confidence in Luke (played by Miles Robbins), but then he turns into a sex maniac/killer who eventually learns how to fully control "his host" by doing a super-cool face-melting/soul-merging thing. This spirit devil (Daniel) actually jumped out of a mass-shooter's body after getting killed by cops when Luke was little and that's how they became friends. Also, Luke meets the school shooter (sans Daniel) controlled when his spirit gets trapped in the haunted dollhouse only he likes a mutant monster with spikes on one side of his face like on the movie poster. Also, Luke's mother (Mary Stuart Masterson) has a crippling mental illness but that didn't seem to have anything to do with this situation. Just a coincidence, I guess.

If this movie was supposed to have 'a point' I did not find it. But that's not to say it was all bad. It has serious B-Movie vibes when it comes to plotting (not necessarily a bad thing) but also a pretty unique and impressive visual style given what had to have been a limited budget (definitely not a bad thing). This all adds up to a fairly enjoyable if not super memorable watch. Also, I couldn't tell if Patrick Schwarzenegger was a horrible actor or a great one, which is usually a decent sign of things to come; it's better to be mysterious and interesting than either boring or serviceable, especially given the right role (and college-aged imaginary friend / hell space traveler certainly fits the bill).

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 548 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 550 ⫸

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Daniel Isn't Real is a 2019 American psychological horror film directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer, from a screenplay by Mortimer and Brian DeLeeuw, based upon the novel In This Way I Was Saved by DeLeeuw. It stars Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hannah Marks, Chukwudi Iwuji and Peter McRobbie. Daniel Isn't Real had its world premiere at South by Southwest. It was released on March 9, 2019.